Nathalie Ryan

Nathalie Ryan is a Senior Educator at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, where she has led programs for educators, families, teens, and the adult public since 2002. Her current work at the National Gallery is researching awe and well-being in the museum with Professor Dacher Keltner at the University of California at Berkeley.

Since 2008, Nathalie has been an instructor at Harvard Project Zero, teaching online and in-person courses on Artful Thinking, Mindful Looking & Making, Engaging with Global Issues Through Art, and Empathetic Perspective-Taking in the Museum. Additionally, Nathalie is a teaching artist in book arts and letterpress at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, the Frederick Book Arts Center, and John C. Campbell Folk School.

Nathalie believes in the power of the arts to help people slow down, notice the world around them in new ways, spark curiosity and wonder, and build connections with others.

Nathalie Ryan will be speaking at the Museum Wellness Summit 2026 :

Cultivating Awe for Well-being

How might museums cultivate awe for well-being? Learn about a research partnership between the National Gallery and the University of California-Berkeley investigating ways that museums might combat social isolation, anxiety and stress through awe practices.

Drawing upon Dr. Dacher Keltner’s framework, National Gallery educators have developed an “awe pedagogy” with measurable impacts on visitor mental health. If feelings of peace, calm, joy, gratitude, and wonder are visitor outcomes that you strive for, this session provides insights into achieving that goal, from education programming to curatorial practice.

This presentation will connect theory with practical applications and specific pratices that are transferrable across many museums contexts and audiences, and we will share insights from visitor evaluation and research.